Leadership Series: Being an Executive Leader

Hello Readers,

A few months ago I asked some of the members of my executive staff at my place of employment few career questions (I encourage you to do the same). As I have interviewed and spoken with many leaders in various positions I come across a common theme. The theme was that each leader had to learn a valuable lesson; leadership is different from what they expected, especially on an executive level. Read the tips I gathered from Adam Silva, a well-respected executive leader. Disclaimer, these are his words straight from the heart. I learned a lot here. My favorite is number 2. Let me know what your favorite is.

Question #1: 1. Did you always see yourself as an executive of an organization? Was it something you pursued?

1. I understood being a senior executive was less about me and more about those I would lead and manage. I had to learn this later in my career.

2. I realized being a leader and manager in an organization meant doing all I could to combine and practice deep personal humility with the professional will to succeed in service to others and the organization’s mission.

3. My definition of success has two components: First, personal relationships - the ability to love and be loved. And second, commitment to a transcendent cause - a cause greater than self. Love and serve those you lead and work with and immerse yourself in pursuit of your corporate mission and you have the ingredients for success in your career. 

Question #2: What did you do to get to where you are now in your career? What steps did you take intentionally for personal and career growth?  (This one I could not paraphrase, it was too rich with good information)

1. I’ve read many articles and books about professional development and have received tons of advice on what to do to succeed in my career. To be honest, I’ve listened to little of it. The long and short of my career progression comes down to two things: 1. I made professional and career decisions, often “head scratchers,” based on what was best for my family, specifically my marriage and my children (in that order). 2. I simply tried to do the next right thing, whatever that was at the time. The two greatest professional decisions I’ve ever made were graduating from West Point in 1993 and marrying my wife one month later. I was once asked what my greatest business success/decision was and my answer stumped the interviewer. I told him, without sarcasm, “I chose the right woman.” He responded with, “No, not a personal decision, a professional decision.” I simply said, “choosing (or being blessed by God with) my wife was the best thing I ever did for my career. Everything I’ve done has been with her support and without her I don’t know where I’d be.” I don’t think he truly understood what I was saying but I surely do. The strength of my marriage and the relationship I have with my wife makes everything in my professional life possible.

Question 3: What 3 tips can you provide someone who wants to grow in their career?

 

1. Be humble and hungry (humility and professional will)

2. Serve others and a cause greater than self. 

3. Practice integrity in all you do - be honest and tell the truth with love and kindness but ALWAYS tell the truth.

Watch the Career Tip of the Week here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRSxRwl44lA

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Your thoughts are always welcome…

MJW

Leadership Tips from Simon Sinek

Hello Readers,

Leadership Series

Leadership is one of the many topics I love to study. Over the next month or so I will share with you some leadership tips I have received from leaders such as EVP, Authors, and parents. I know their words of wisdom will inspire you as they have done for me.  First I will share some takeaways from Simon Sinek

I recently attended a trainer’s conference and Simon Sinek was one of the key note speakers. If you have not heard of Simon, he has the 3^rd most watch TED Talk ever and he is a blooming pioneer on structuring the way leadership is defined. Here are some key points I took away from Simon’s message.

1. Leaders set the condition of any organization.

2. Leaders provide the safety net for their people.

3. Leaders have to find the vision of the organization not create one; only then will the people jump on board.

4. The charge of a leader is to take care of the people not take charge of the people (My favorite)

5. Leadership takes great personal sacrifice.

6. We all have the capacity to be leaders but we all should not take this role.

7. C.E.O.s' do not take care of the results, the people do. C.E.O.s' take the blame for the results.

8. Leadership is making a cup of coffee when you drank the last cup.

9. Leadership is holding the elevator door when you see someone behind you.

10. Leaders do not use humans to balance books; their sole reason is to protect the tribe.

11. Leadership is in your daily routine

Your thoughts are welcome…

MJW

www.truthspeakscoaching.com

Leadership in the morning

Hello Readers,

“I am not a morning person”. Have you heard this phrase before? I am sure you have. Have you stopped to asked yourself what does this phrase mean and what does it have to do with leadership? Let’s break this down. If a person is not a “morning person” and they do not mind expressing that feeling, that person leaves an impression of “do not mess with me in the morning”. In some people’s eyes this may be okay but, what about for a leader of a team? If a leader walks in the office and the first thing their team notices is that they are not a morning person, this can send a bad message to the team. A leader has to be an “all day” person whether they want to or not (emotional intelligence). Sure someone may need their coffee in the morning to get them energized but, the coffee should not be the motivating factor. As a leader you have to LEAD and a person cannot lead properly if they are not in the “mood” to do so. If you are a manager or desire to be a leader in your organization, you may want to rethink not being a “morning person”. It could send a message to the world you are grumpy and do not want to be bothered and no one wants a grumpy morning person as a leader or manager.  

Thanks for reading and let us know your thoughts...

MJW

Www.truthspeakscoaching.com

Five tips to have a successful team

Hello readers,

At some point in our lives we will be on or participate in a team. I have been on a number of teams in my life, whether it was a working team in the Navy, a team activity at work, or a sports team. I have noticed a trend in what makes a team successful. Below is my list of five tips for building a team:

1. Honesty- Leaders must be honest with themselves and their teams. Leaders cannot expect something they are not delivering themselves.
2. Delegate Properly- Give each team member assignments. Each member of the team has a job to do to make the team work. Think of the team as the human body, all parts need to function together to work at its full capacity.
3. Positive-negative-Positive- Speak in this manner when dealing with issues. Always mention the positive, then the issue, and lastly a positive.
4. Be a real human being- True leaders allow their team into their world. Authentic leaders talk about the baseball game with the kids or the vacation they took. Allow your team to see that you are not a robot.
5. Innovation- Leaders must continue to seek out new ideas to revamp the way things are done on the team. Invite the teams input and put their ideas into action.

Your thoughts are welcome…

MJW

www.truthspeakscoaching.com